History of underwater innovation stays in the family

Legendary underwater filmmaker Jordy Klein, surfaces from a dive during the taping of the Rinspeed amphibious car the sQuba in the main spring at the Silver Springs attraction in Silver Springs, Fl on Monday February 5, 2008. Klein has done many shoots at the springs over the years

Alan Youngblood/Star-Banner

By Marian RizzoCorrespondent

Published: Saturday, July 27, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 26, 2013 at 10:03 p.m.

Editor's Note: This is another in a periodic series about the people whose lives are as much a part of the Silver Springs tradition as the crystal waters that bubble up from the earth.

For many folks, the name Jordan Klein conjures up images of underwater cinematography, waterproof cameras, improved scuba gear and high pressure compressors.

Jordan Klein Sr., who spent a good portion of his life beneath the sea, used his love of diving and his creativity to design and build devices that would impact the motion picture industry. Klein's projects took him from Miami to the Bahamas, and ultimately, to the waters of Silver Springs.

Driven by his own interest in scuba diving, Klein continuously sought ways to make scuba gear safer. He also did several designs for underwater camera housings for both still and moving pictures.

In Klein's Summerfield home office, numerous trophies and framed certificates speak of his accomplishments in the field of underwater photography. Among his most notable honors are his induction into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, several International Underwater Film Festival awards and a 2002 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award for technical achievement.

At 87, Klein acknowledges his many accolades with a shrug of his shoulders and a modest twinkle in his eye. But his face lights up and his voice becomes more animated when he talks about growing up in Miami, where, at the age of 14, he piloted an airplane solo and designed his own underwater diving gear. He made fins out of a piece of a tire and two tennis shoes, and he made a face mask from a section of an inner tube and a piece of glass.

"That's what we used to dive with in the '30s and '40s," he said, adding that he and a friend also made their own diver's hard hat.

"We took a 5-gallon milk can, cut off the top and used a refrigerator compressor to pump air from the surface through a garden hose. We didn't realize we needed a non-return valve. If the hose broke, it would have collapsed our lungs and killed us," he said.

Those early attempts eventually evolved into more professionally-designed creations. In 1948, Klein bought some surplus air compressors and redesigned them to make the first Mako breathing compressors. Around the same time, he began designing underwater camera housings. And, he patented the first mass-produced "waterproof camera," the Mako Shark, which takes 120 size film and can still be used today.

Klein operated his Mako compressor company in Miami for 30 years, then moved it to Ocala in the late 1970s. The founder of Jordan Klein Productions, he said he was drawn here by his interest in the film crews that were shooting at Silver Springs.

As an underwater set designer and cameraman, Klein worked on several TV series, including "Flipper," the "$6 Million Man" and the "Bionic Woman." He also joined up with Miami producer Ivan Tors for the filming of 24 episodes of "Sea Hunt," shot at Silver Springs, plus several major motion pictures, including two James Bond movies, "Thunderball," which was filmed in Miami and Nassau, and "Never Say Never Again," which was filmed in Freeport, High Springs and Silver Springs.

"I was a part-time underwater cameraman and I worked full-time taking care of the props that I built," Klein said. "I constructed the underwater bomb carriers for both James Bond films and I designed 12 electric-powered underwater scooters for ‘Thunderball.' The door slid open at the side of the ship and the scooters came rushing out."

Klein's son, Jordy, was a baby when his dad was working on "Thunderball." To the younger Klein, it seemed only natural that he follow in his father's footsteps.

"I lived with it every day," Jordy said. "I learned how to dive when I was 2½. My dad made a special scuba apparatus for me. He took a mouthpiece made for an adult and cut it down to fit my mouth. I started in our swimming pool. Then, he took me to the reef somewhere around the Keys."

During his high school years, Jordy worked at his father's compressor shop.

He was introduced to the world of undersea film photography early in life, first by filling scuba tanks for the actors and later by doubling as a swim stand-in for the lead actor in the "Salty" movie. He also was a swim-double for Ron Ely, who had the lead of Mike Nelson in the second TV series of "Sea Hunt."

Jordy, the owner and president of Jordan Klein Film and Video, soon transferred his interest behind the camera. As a design engineer, he also designed his own underwater camera housings and equipped a catamaran with a tower and side wings that serve as a photographer's perch over the water. For his contributions, Jordy was nominated in 2004 for a Sci-Tech award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Jordy, also an aerial photographer, recently invented a radio-controlled helicopter with six rotors and a camera. It would be useful in agriculture, cellphone tower inspections, border patrol and traffic monitoring, he said.

"We've actually used it for filming alligators in the swamp for a TV show called ‘Swamp People,' " he said.

The Kleins' most recent film project, "Whiskers," uses a movie script Jordan Sr. wrote about a sea lion. Pending financing, Jordy said he plans to do most of the filming in Marion County at parks and shops, as well as Lake Weir and, if possible, at Silver Springs.

Jordy's wife, Arlene, has been involved in some of her husband's filmmaking and has had a few moments of her own in the limelight.

A tall, willowy blond with long hair, Arlene was often type-cast as a mermaid. When the Kleins were in Nassau working on the movie "Splash," Arlene was a swim double for Daryl Hannah. Arlene also played a mermaid in a music video by Julio Iglesias and was a mermaid in a documentary about manatees, which was shot at Rainbow Springs. The episode was part of a series, "Fabulous Animals," and can be viewed on YouTube.

"They show a close-up of my face and I morph into a manatee," she said. "It was really kind of cool."

Arlene also posed as a mermaid for several promotional videos at Silver Springs and was a passenger in an underwater car, Rinspeed's sQuba, for a commercial shot by Jordy at Silver Springs.

"I've been with Jordy since I was 17 years old," Arlene said. "It's been an adventure. I have to say, the most interesting things I've done in my life were because of being married to Jordy and being part of this cool family."

To Jordy, some of his easiest work was done at Silver Springs.

"Normally, when we film underwater, it's a pain in the neck," he said. "We've got to fly somewhere where the water is clear, and then we've got to get in a boat and hope the water won't be too rough. So, it was nice to get in a car and drive there and get right in the water. The Silver River is always clean, and it's always the same temperature, so you know what to expect. Other than when it was raining, you could shoot continuously."

After Silver Springs changed hands in the 1990s, opportunities for such projects diminished, Jordy said.

"Silver Springs has become increasingly difficult to work with, mainly because of the politics involved, the price changes and the hoops we have to jump through to shoot there," he said. "It used to be a pleasure to film there. It cost $1,000 a day and they would pull a barge up in the main spring for us, and we would have their concession people cater the crew meals. When Florida Leisure sold out, it became more difficult. Then, they charged $5,000 a day, and we couldn't bring a boat in there without permission from the Corps of Engineers and the EPA, and we had to hire a couple of off-duty deputies."

With Silver Springs going under state control this fall, the wheels of creativity have already started turning for Jordan Klein Sr.

"I would like to see a restaurant with a big window in it, where you can sit and eat and look into the springs. It would be lower than the water level," he said.

"If they want to get divers in there, they could build a place to go swimming through man-made galleons and treasure boxes, and a maze of underwater artifacts. Mothers can sit and watch their kiddies and husbands swimming around and exploring. And, every morning the park could throw out a bunch of silver coins — pieces of eight — that they can take home with them. And they could give diving lessons and rent scuba equipment and turn that into a serious scuba diving center," he added.

<p><i>Editor's Note: This is another in a periodic series about the people whose lives are as much a part of the Silver Springs tradition as the crystal waters that bubble up from the earth. </i></p><p>For many folks, the name Jordan Klein conjures up images of underwater cinematography, waterproof cameras, improved scuba gear and high pressure compressors.</p><p>Jordan Klein Sr., who spent a good portion of his life beneath the sea, used his love of diving and his creativity to design and build devices that would impact the motion picture industry. Klein's projects took him from Miami to the Bahamas, and ultimately, to the waters of Silver Springs.</p><p>Driven by his own interest in scuba diving, Klein continuously sought ways to make scuba gear safer. He also did several designs for underwater camera housings for both still and moving pictures.</p><p>In Klein's Summerfield home office, numerous trophies and framed certificates speak of his accomplishments in the field of underwater photography. Among his most notable honors are his induction into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, several International Underwater Film Festival awards and a 2002 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award for technical achievement.</p><p>At 87, Klein acknowledges his many accolades with a shrug of his shoulders and a modest twinkle in his eye. But his face lights up and his voice becomes more animated when he talks about growing up in Miami, where, at the age of 14, he piloted an airplane solo and designed his own underwater diving gear. He made fins out of a piece of a tire and two tennis shoes, and he made a face mask from a section of an inner tube and a piece of glass.</p><p>"That's what we used to dive with in the '30s and '40s," he said, adding that he and a friend also made their own diver's hard hat.</p><p>"We took a 5-gallon milk can, cut off the top and used a refrigerator compressor to pump air from the surface through a garden hose. We didn't realize we needed a non-return valve. If the hose broke, it would have collapsed our lungs and killed us," he said.</p><p>Those early attempts eventually evolved into more professionally-designed creations. In 1948, Klein bought some surplus air compressors and redesigned them to make the first Mako breathing compressors. Around the same time, he began designing underwater camera housings. And, he patented the first mass-produced "waterproof camera," the Mako Shark, which takes 120 size film and can still be used today.</p><p>Klein operated his Mako compressor company in Miami for 30 years, then moved it to Ocala in the late 1970s. The founder of Jordan Klein Productions, he said he was drawn here by his interest in the film crews that were shooting at Silver Springs.</p><p>As an underwater set designer and cameraman, Klein worked on several TV series, including "Flipper," the "$6 Million Man" and the "Bionic Woman." He also joined up with Miami producer Ivan Tors for the filming of 24 episodes of "Sea Hunt," shot at Silver Springs, plus several major motion pictures, including two James Bond movies, "Thunderball," which was filmed in Miami and Nassau, and "Never Say Never Again," which was filmed in Freeport, High Springs and Silver Springs.</p><p>"I was a part-time underwater cameraman and I worked full-time taking care of the props that I built," Klein said. "I constructed the underwater bomb carriers for both James Bond films and I designed 12 electric-powered underwater scooters for 'Thunderball.' The door slid open at the side of the ship and the scooters came rushing out."</p><p>Klein's son, Jordy, was a baby when his dad was working on "Thunderball." To the younger Klein, it seemed only natural that he follow in his father's footsteps.</p><p>"I lived with it every day," Jordy said. "I learned how to dive when I was 2½. My dad made a special scuba apparatus for me. He took a mouthpiece made for an adult and cut it down to fit my mouth. I started in our swimming pool. Then, he took me to the reef somewhere around the Keys."</p><p>During his high school years, Jordy worked at his father's compressor shop.</p><p>He was introduced to the world of undersea film photography early in life, first by filling scuba tanks for the actors and later by doubling as a swim stand-in for the lead actor in the "Salty" movie. He also was a swim-double for Ron Ely, who had the lead of Mike Nelson in the second TV series of "Sea Hunt."</p><p>Jordy, the owner and president of Jordan Klein Film and Video, soon transferred his interest behind the camera. As a design engineer, he also designed his own underwater camera housings and equipped a catamaran with a tower and side wings that serve as a photographer's perch over the water. For his contributions, Jordy was nominated in 2004 for a Sci-Tech award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.</p><p>Jordy, also an aerial photographer, recently invented a radio-controlled helicopter with six rotors and a camera. It would be useful in agriculture, cellphone tower inspections, border patrol and traffic monitoring, he said.</p><p>"We've actually used it for filming alligators in the swamp for a TV show called 'Swamp People,' " he said.</p><p>The Kleins' most recent film project, "Whiskers," uses a movie script Jordan Sr. wrote about a sea lion. Pending financing, Jordy said he plans to do most of the filming in Marion County at parks and shops, as well as Lake Weir and, if possible, at Silver Springs.</p><p>Jordy's wife, Arlene, has been involved in some of her husband's filmmaking and has had a few moments of her own in the limelight.</p><p>A tall, willowy blond with long hair, Arlene was often type-cast as a mermaid. When the Kleins were in Nassau working on the movie "Splash," Arlene was a swim double for Daryl Hannah. Arlene also played a mermaid in a music video by Julio Iglesias and was a mermaid in a documentary about manatees, which was shot at Rainbow Springs. The episode was part of a series, "Fabulous Animals," and can be viewed on YouTube.</p><p>"They show a close-up of my face and I morph into a manatee," she said. "It was really kind of cool."</p><p>Arlene also posed as a mermaid for several promotional videos at Silver Springs and was a passenger in an underwater car, Rinspeed's sQuba, for a commercial shot by Jordy at Silver Springs.</p><p>"I've been with Jordy since I was 17 years old," Arlene said. "It's been an adventure. I have to say, the most interesting things I've done in my life were because of being married to Jordy and being part of this cool family."</p><p>To Jordy, some of his easiest work was done at Silver Springs.</p><p>"Normally, when we film underwater, it's a pain in the neck," he said. "We've got to fly somewhere where the water is clear, and then we've got to get in a boat and hope the water won't be too rough. So, it was nice to get in a car and drive there and get right in the water. The Silver River is always clean, and it's always the same temperature, so you know what to expect. Other than when it was raining, you could shoot continuously."</p><p>After Silver Springs changed hands in the 1990s, opportunities for such projects diminished, Jordy said.</p><p>"Silver Springs has become increasingly difficult to work with, mainly because of the politics involved, the price changes and the hoops we have to jump through to shoot there," he said. "It used to be a pleasure to film there. It cost $1,000 a day and they would pull a barge up in the main spring for us, and we would have their concession people cater the crew meals. When Florida Leisure sold out, it became more difficult. Then, they charged $5,000 a day, and we couldn't bring a boat in there without permission from the Corps of Engineers and the EPA, and we had to hire a couple of off-duty deputies."</p><p>With Silver Springs going under state control this fall, the wheels of creativity have already started turning for Jordan Klein Sr.</p><p>"I would like to see a restaurant with a big window in it, where you can sit and eat and look into the springs. It would be lower than the water level," he said.</p><p>"If they want to get divers in there, they could build a place to go swimming through man-made galleons and treasure boxes, and a maze of underwater artifacts. Mothers can sit and watch their kiddies and husbands swimming around and exploring. And, every morning the park could throw out a bunch of silver coins — pieces of eight — that they can take home with them. And they could give diving lessons and rent scuba equipment and turn that into a serious scuba diving center," he added.</p>